Chinese 'mega embassy' set for approval despite spying fears

The Home Office and Foreign Office are not expected to block plans for the new embassy, as long as officials agree on “mitigations” to protect national security, The Times reports.

Both departments - which speak for the UK’s security services - are due to file their final assessments in the coming days, ahead of a decision scheduled for December 10.

A Whitehall source told the paper the approval is now likely to be little more than a “formality”.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer prepares for a potential visit to China next year, with the government pushing to deepen economic ties with Beijing despite ongoing concerns about large-scale espionage activity targeting the UK.

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Relations between the UK and China have further deteriorated following the collapse of a high-profile spy trial involving two men accused of passing sensitive information to Beijing.

Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry denied any wrongdoing, and the case was halted after ministers declined to formally label China a national security threat.

Beijing had earlier warned of “consequences” if plans for its new embassy in London were blocked.

The development at Royal Mint Court, close to the Tower of London and sitting above a major cluster of fibre-optic cables feeding into the City, has been repeatedly delayed.

Concerns have also been raised about the site’s security, with some officials warning it could create opportunities for surveillance.

Sky News reports that Sir Keir Starmer is preparing for a potential trip to Beijing in January, although a final call has not yet been made.

If confirmed, it would be the first visit to China by a UK prime minister since Theresa May travelled there in 2018.

Security officials have warned that China is running large-scale intelligence operations against the UK.

Whitehall sources claiming Chinese operatives have attempted to recruit “thousands” of people connected to Westminster in what they describe as a broad online campaign aimed at the “weak underbelly of parliament”.

MI5 has told MPs and peers that Chinese intelligence was offering “large financial incentives for seemingly low-level information”, using small asks as a way to build trust and eventually extract “non-public sensitive information”.

Those contacted reportedly included advisers to former Conservative ministers, including an ex-chancellor, advisers to Labour ministers, and researchers at prominent think tanks such as the Tony Blair Institute.

The agency warned that Beijing has been trying to “cultivate” individuals who sit “one step removed” from senior political figures, and urged MPs to look out for “unusual questions” from colleagues or outside contacts which could suggest attempts to gather intelligence.

The defence minister has also cautioned the wider public to be vigilant about unsolicited online approaches that may come from potential Chinese intelligence operatives.

The Home Office and the Foreign Office have been approached by LBC for comment.